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Every year, I make a Christmas card for my parents and my younger brother writes the message. This year I was inspired by a really nice (and pricy!) card I saw on pinterest. I really loved the pattern on the card but it did seem a little bit generic so I went ahead and added the banner in the center.

Materials

1/2 a sheet of watercolor paper

Watercolors, I always use my ArtistLoft set

Paintbrush, I used the medium Pentel Aquash

Pen or calligraphy pen

Washi tape

Instructions

1. Sketch out your design for the banner or anything else you would like to include on the card that will not be watercolored and add a piece of tape along the center of your card. I prefer using washi tape as it peels off very easily. It is important to use tape to make sure there is a clean line on the other side which gives the card a more professional feel.

2. Start with the green leaves and try to scatter them around in an organic manner. I highly recommend practicing the leaves first and using a skinny round brush. When painting the leaves, don't add too much water to the watercolor to make sure there is a good level of saturation.

3. Add the branches next, be very careful and make sure these are not too watery to ensure thin branches. I found that using a more orange/red color for the berries allowed for a more rustic look rather than using the brightest red. For the banner, I used a black calligraphy fountain pen. Lastly, I peeled off the tape and carefully erased the pencil marks.

4. If you're really looking for a crisp fold, score the center of the card with a ruler and a pair of sharp scissors. As seen below, the combination of tape and scoring really gives the card a nice edge that will set it apart from other DIY cards!